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Sundown, South Coast

The Golden Circle and the Blue Lagoon - for Cruise Liners - EI53

Geysir, Gullfoss, Thingvellir and geothermal spa bathing

The prime of Icelandic falls, Gullfoss

This tour is available in connection with the cruise liners arriving to the capital area in the summer season. During this tour we drive through the countryside along the Golden Circle, a very popular tourist route in South Iceland covering about 300 km as it loops from Reykjavik into central Iceland and back again.

Special offer, depending on having 10 passengers. Share this information with other travellers and make a group! *

We will start the tour by driving through the countryside along the Golden Circle route, a very popular tourist route in South Iceland, covering about 300 km looping from Reykjavik into central Iceland and back again. The three primary stops on this route are Thingvellir National Park, the waterfall of Gullfoss and the active geothermal valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers of Geysir and Strokkur.

The most powerful waterfall in Europe

Other stops include Kerid, a volcano crater and Lake Laugarvatn. We drive east over the heath of Hellisheidi, getting a glimpse of the south coast lowland area before we pass the greenhouse village of Hveragerdi, a small and beautiful horticultural town. We will make our first stop at Kerid, a volcanic crater lake located in the Grimsnes area in south Iceland. From there we continue to Gullfoss Waterfall meaning “Golden Falls”.

The falls Gullfoss

The falls are situated in the River Hvita which originates from Lake Hvitarvatn on the south east side of the glacier of Langjokull. Gullfoss is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country. It is Europe’s largest waterfall and is always spectacular. The average volume of water running over this waterfall is 140 m³/s in the summertime and 80 m³/s in the wintertime. On a sunny day rainbows form in the mist clouds created from the hammering falls which makes Gullfoss a very special sight to see.

The geyser reaches 15 – 20 m high, even up to 40 m high

Hot springs and geysers

After enjoying Gullfoss we visit the active geothermal hot spring valley of Haukadalur which contains the super Geysir which very rarely spouts nowadays; but when it does it can erupt steaming water 200 feet upwards. Please do not worry about that! The more active hot spring, Strokkur, reliably spouts hot water about 60-100 feet upwards every 5 minutes. In this area there are many wonderful walking paths taking you to view steaming vents and colourful, mineral-rich mud formations at almost every footstep. Next, we will head to the village of Laugarvatn, located in beautiful nature at the bank of a lake and hot springs.

We take our lunch break in a nice place in this area.

The geyser Strokkur erupts every 5 - 8 minutes

The National Park of Thingvellir

From Laugarvatn we drive to Thingvellir National Park, where the Great Atlantic Rift is clearly visible, a rift which is slowly pulling Iceland apart. Thingvellir is a site of historical, cultural, and geological importance and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland. Althingi, the Icelandic Parliament was established in the year 930 AD at Thingvellir. In 2004, Thingvellir National Park was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, one of just eight hundred sites worldwide which have been honoured in this way.

From Thingvellir we drive south to Reykjavik taking the road through the Reykjanes Peninsula to the Blue Lagoon, one of the most visited attractions in Iceland.

At the National Park of Thingvellir where the continents split

The geothermal spa

The Blue Lagoon is a unique geothermal spa situated in the youngest lava field of this peninsula in South West Iceland. Once there you will have many recreational options such as bathing in the milky blue water, massage and spa treatments or simply walking in the Blue Lagoon´s spectacular surroundings. The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur and bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases. The water temperature in the bathing and swimming area of the lagoon averages 37-39 °C.

Blue Lagoon geothermal spa, relaxing

After relaxing in the Blue Lagoon we will head back to Reykjavik where we will drop our passengers off at the port in good time for your vessel's departure.